Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
“Burtis House or Wedding Cake House is a Historic Site in Tuscola County, Michigan. The two-story Second Empire building was built from 1879 to 1880 for Richard C.”
Wikipedia article Richard C. Burtis House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 14 National Register listings published here for Tuscola County · listed in 1975 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 13 fires within 5 miles of R. C. Burtis House between 1992 and 2019, burning about 18 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 2 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 August 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | FAIRGROVE FD 0003419 - 2019 |
| 14 August 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | VASSAR FD 1162018 - 2018 |
| 6 June 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | CARO FD 0000117 - 2018 |
| 29 June 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | VASSAR FD 1062018 - 2018 |
| 15 June 1992 | Debris and open burning | 2.5 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 5 May 2018 | Recreation and ceremony | 2.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | VASSAR FD 0822018 - 2018 |
| 4 May 2018 | Recreation and ceremony | 1.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | VASSAR FD 0802018 - 2018 |
| 13 April 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | VASSAR FD 0322019 - 2019 |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of R. C. Burtis House: 3 producers, 1 past producer, 1 unknown. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peterhans Sand and Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Pit No 1 and Plant M-46 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Sargent Sand Co. Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Tuscola County Road Commission Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Washburn Road Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Vassar, the town this property stands in, in 28 storm reports between 1996 and 2024: 19 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 1 flood, 1 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | $7,000 | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Flood | Vassar | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | $2,000 | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | $1,000 | Shingles were torn off a barn roof. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | - | Trees reported blown down across the county, with the Vassar area particulary the hardest hit. |
| August 2022 | Tornado (EF0) | Vassar | - | Emergency management reported numerous uprooted trees, including sheared trees and tree limbs, along the path of the tornado. |
| September 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | - | Numerous trees and power lines reported down. |
| September 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | - | Wires reported down. |
| September 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | - | Trees reported down in Vassar. |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | - | Several trees reported down around Vassar. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | - | Medium size tree branch reported down at camp. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | - | Power lines reported down. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | - | Numerous trees and wires reported down. |
| April 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | - | Law Enforcement reported wires down. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | - | Central dispatch reported trees blown down in Vassar. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | - | Trees and utility poles were brought down. Seven streets were completely closed due to large trees lying across the roadway. Over half of the city lost power due to the storm. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | - | Law enforcement reported a utility pole blown down. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | - | Law enforcement reported large tree limbs and wires down. |
| July 2016 | Hail | Vassar | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Vassar | - | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Hail | Vassar | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Vassar | - | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Hail | Vassar | - | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Hail | Vassar | - | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Hail | Vassar | - | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vassar | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Watrous General Store | 0.3 miles | 1974 |
 | Townsend North House | 5.7 miles | 1977 |
 | Hotel Columbia | 6.1 miles | 1992 |
 | Smith House | 6.1 miles | 1972 |
 | McKinley School | 6.1 miles | 1972 |
 | Hotel Montague | 6.9 miles | 1991 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 75000962 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Tuscola County | All 14 listed properties in this county. |
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